US Spring Homebuying Season Has Its Weakest Start in Five Years

The crucial spring home-sales season in the US, barely off the runway, is already sputtering.

April is normally when transactions kick into overdrive, warmer weather drawing in buyers and sellers alike. But this year, the number of signed contracts was the lowest for the month since the Covid lockdown in 2020, according to seasonally adjusted data from Redfin Corp. Deals were down 3% from last April, already seen as a low mark.

Active listings for April also ballooned to the highest level since 2019, suggesting homes are piling up on the market. And annual median price growth, measured by ...